Lloyd Doggett previously represented Texas's 10th congressional district from 1995 to 2005. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district covers the state capital, Austin.
POLITICO.COM
Texas pol emerges as Perry critic
By ALEX ISENSTADT
August 20, 2011
Texas pol emerges as Perry critic
Some excerpts :
He’s taken to MSNBC to hammer the governor over his handling of public schools in Texas. He’s spoken at an anti-Perry rally on the steps of the state capitol, tweaking the governor for carrying a concealed firearm and vowing to “sound the alarm” about Perry across the country. On his Facebook page, he’s poked Perry for his “boot-in-mouth syndrome.”
Doggett’s latest attack came Friday afternoon, when he hosted a conference call with reporters in which he railed against Perry’s assertion that he’s presided over a jobs boom in the state – a claim the Democrat ripped as a “Texas tall tale.”
It’s a surprisingly vigorous effort for the nine-term Democratic congressman, but it reflects the urgency with which he is trying to rescue his imperiled political career. Doggett, who’s facing an uphill post-redistricting primary battle, is racing to appeal to Democratic voters — and the longtime governor makes a convenient foe: He’s a confrontational conservative who Texas liberals love to hate.
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“He’s got someone good to flog – Perry is wide open among liberal Democrats. You can’t lose talking about Rick Perry.”
Doggett’s path to a tenth term is precarious. He’s running against state Rep. Joaquin Castro, whose name is political gold in South Texas Democratic politics. Castro’s brother, Julio Castro, is San Antonio’s mayor and his mother, Rosie Castro, is a prominent grassroots activist in the state. Making matters more difficult for the congressman: He’ll have to run outside his Austin political base, where the former state senator and state Supreme Court justice has been in elected office for nearly four decades.
Matt Angle, a Democratic consultant who has been involved in Texas politics for years, pointed out that in saturating the national and local airwaves with an anti-Perry message, Doggett can reach Democratic voters well beyond Austin and into the new district he is running in — an area where the Castro name is better known.
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To some extent, Doggett’s anti-Perry campaign goes far beyond his efforts to reclaim his seat — it reflects lingering tensions following a brawl over public school funding.
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“Doggett and Perry have a long-standing feud over how federal funds are spent in Texas,” said ex-Texas Democratic Rep. Martin Frost, Doggett’s former colleague. “There’s no love lost.”
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